News & Reviews

New Reviews of BEACH BIRD:

Beach Bird, in the main, covers the Tundra Peregrine Falcon and the history and heritage of falconry in the U.S.A. The book contains many illustrations including photographs and original artwork from artists such as John P. Baumlin, Andrew Ellis, John D. Baker, Hans J. Peters, and Mark Upton. I heartily recommend Beach Bird in which Bruce Haak has described many aspects of not only falconry, but trapping, history, and the environment.

- Peter Eldrett, The Falconers and Raptor Conservation Magazine

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Beach Bird is a beautifully crafted and richly illustrated book that has been researched and written with the care and precision of a working scientist who is passionate about his topic…Bruce Haak's lovely book pays homage to the passage peregrine, and to the experience of partnering with one in the hunt…It contains photography by the author, photographs contributed by falconers at the top of their game, historic photos reproduced from The Archives of Falconry, and, exquisite paintings by John D. Baker, Andrew Ellis, Hans J. Peters, and Mark Upton, that enrich the text from front to back cover.

- Glenn Stewart, President, California Hawking Club

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In Beach Bird, Bruce Haak recounts his journey from his early days to the present, in his falconry pursuit of the dynamic and often spectacular passage peregrine which he brings to life in this book...Beach Bird is well illustrated with historical archive and many colored photos dating from the early 60’s through to the present day. In its uniqueness, it documents a branch of falconry that has passed into our history, but has become a modern-day renaissance in North American falconry.

- Diana Durman-Walters, Author of The Modern Falconer

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"What a lovely little coffee table book this is. Its sole subject is passage peregrines, with an emphasis on the appreciation of the trapping experience. This philosophical journey involves a modest amount of text but lots of eye-candy photographs depicting everything from an expected historical analysis to modern trapping and game-hawking. Overall the book is an impressionistic response to the author's personal experiences within our shared sport. If you are looking for a coffee-table-styled, eye-candy book on falconry (and who isn't?) this one is hard to beat!”

- Mike McDermott, American Falconry Magazine

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Beach Bird: Renaissance Falconry with Passage Peregrine Falcons, published by Falco Sapiens Press in 2016, is a wonderful little (approximately 140 pages) book. The text is supported with a generous number of interesting (and sometimes vintage) pictures and artwork, making for an enjoyable, short read. The author is superbly well versed in all things peregrine, and his breadth of experience comes across on the pages of this insightful book.”

- Joe Roy, III, American Falconry Magazine

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Bruce takes the reader on this adventure-journey as he drives across America to get to southern beaches that are 2,000 miles from his home. He learned beach trapping from the expert falconer-researchers that capture and band peregrines annually. Bruce ultimately acquires two falcons in subsequent years. He clearly explains his intent to hunt a variety of quarry with fresh trapped passage falcons, as a means of testing their competency by today’s standards.

This is a unique book about the juxtaposition of the best of the old and the new. Training and flying passage peregrines in the 21st Century as described in Beach Bird will, I hope, instill the passion to fly passage peregrines for many more falconers.

A new book about Peregrine Falcons and their place in falconry is a celebration of both their history in Europe and the United States. Bruce Haak has gone over the top in writing a superb story, taking contemporary photos, finding rare photographs and including outstanding artwork in this scholarly and well illustrated work.

This is a book that will be cherished by falconers around the world and should find a place in their library next to "The Rites of Autumn" and "American Hawking." Let me encourage you to forward this to others who will enjoying knowing this book is now available.

Travel Activities

I want to thank the organizers of the 2017 British Falconry Fair, especially Bob Dalton, for inviting me to participate in their event. Visitors to the venue were friendly, the weather was pleasant, and it was nice to see old friends in the crowd. An article about my experience there will be published by the North American Falconers Association (NAFA) next winter.

Between November 19 to 25, 2017, I will attend the NAFA field meet in Kearney, Nebraska. I have been a member of NAFA since 1973, served as the Mountain Director, and contributed numerous articles to both the Hawk Chalk and annual Journal.

In May of 2018, Evelyn and I will attend the British Falconry Fair in Newent, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom.

In October of 2018, Evelyn and I will attend the joint DFO-IAF falconry meeting in Bamberg, Germany.